Occupation

Animal Scientists

Human Advantage 71%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Low Risk
2.1 / 10

This occupation requires complex human judgment, social interaction, and creative problem-solving that are difficult to automate.

Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.

Also Known As: Animal Anatomist, Animal Behaviorist, Animal Biologist, Animal Geneticist, Animal Nutrition Consultant, Animal Nutritionist, Animal Scientist, Bacteriologist +19 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
  2. Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
  3. Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
  4. Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
  5. Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
  6. Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
  7. Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.

Supplemental Tasks (2)

  1. Determine genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits, using principles of genetics.
  2. Crossbreed animals with existing strains or cross strains to obtain new combinations of desirable characteristics.

Education & Training

Job Zone 5 Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
On-the-Job Training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Doctoral Degree
43%
Master's Degree
22%
Bachelor's Degree
13%
Post-Doctoral Training
13%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
4%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
4%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Oracle PeopleSoft
  • SAS
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Tableau

Software (28)

  • Best Linear Unbiased Prediction BLUP
  • COWGAME
  • Cowculator
  • DAGRIS
  • Database software
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequence analysis software
  • Domestic Animal Diversity Information Service DAD-IS
  • Email software
  • FEEDLOT CALC
  • Master Ration Calculator
  • Nutrition Balance Analyzer NUTBAL
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals OMIA
  • Oracle HRIS
  • VSNi ASReml
  • VSNi GenStat
  • Web browser software
  • Word processing software

Tools & Equipment (86)

  • Analytic balances
  • Animal blood analyzers
  • Animal catching equipment
  • Animal feed mixers
  • Animal feeders
  • Animal heater lamps
  • Artificial insemination kits
  • Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
  • Automatic carbon dioxide CO2 incubators
  • Balling guns
  • Benchtop centrifuges
  • Blood collection syringes
  • Bomb calorimeters
  • Brooders
  • Bunsen burners
  • Calf pullers
  • Calf restraints
  • Calorimeters
  • Captive bolt stunners
  • Cattle scales
  • Cattle squeeze chutes
  • Circulating water baths
  • Computerized cattle feeders
  • Conductance meters
  • Dehorners
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequencers
  • Desktop computers
  • Dissecting kits
  • Ear punches
  • Electric stunners
  • Electronic laboratory balances
  • Erlenmeyer flasks
  • Evacuated blood collection tubes
  • Fiber digesters
  • Fluorescence spectrophotometers
  • Fraction collectors
  • Freeze dryers
  • Gas chromatographs GC
  • Gel electrophoresis equipment
  • Glass pipettes
  • Graduated beakers
  • Graduated cylinders
  • Handheld digital thermometers
  • High pressure liquid chromatograph HPLC equipment
  • Homogenizers
  • Hot plate stirrers
  • Hybridization chambers
  • Hydrometers
  • Imaging microscopes
  • Infrared IR spectrometers
  • Laboratory drying ovens
  • Laboratory fume hoods
  • Laboratory vacuum ovens
  • Laboratory vacuum pumps
  • Laboratory water baths
  • Laminar flow cabinets
  • Laptop computers
  • Laser densitometers
  • Liquid scintillation counters
  • Livestock scales
  • Meat choppers
  • Meat grinders
  • Microcentrifuges
  • Microscope slides
  • Microultracentrifuges
  • Optical compound microscopes
  • Orbital shaking water baths
  • Oxygen meters
  • Personal computers
  • Petri dishes
  • Polymerase chain reaction PCR equipment
  • Poultry incubators
  • Refrigerated benchtop centrifuges
  • Scanning densitometers
  • Scientific calculators
  • Slab dryers
  • Specimen collection containers
  • Steam autoclaves
  • Tissue culture incubators
  • Triple beam balances
  • Ultracentrifuges
  • Ultrasonic water baths
  • Ultrasound probes
  • Ultraviolet UV visible spectrophotometers
  • Veterinary emasculators
  • Volumetric flasks

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Animal Systems Healthcare & Human Services

Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 5
Animal Scientists You are here

Food Science & Processing Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 2
Zone 5
Animal Scientists You are here

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Real Talk

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